Arthur's Delivery Service
by nyoengland
Summary: Arthur definitely was looking forward to his long overdue journey as a young witch, along with his loud and chubby cat. However, he didn't expect to find such a beautiful town full of adventures, magic and mystery, and he definitely didn't expect to find a friend in an annoying, irresistible boy. Kiki's Delivery Service AU!
1. Liftoff

hi everyone! this is a collaboration between me and my lovely friend tey, who's _MyCatIsOn_ in AO3 where she's going to publish it! it's been an idea for a while, so we decided to get off our butts and finally write it lmao.

we'll update once a week!

all **odd chapters** are written by _tey_ , all **even chapters** are written by _me_!

disclaimer: i don't know hetalia nor kiki's delivery service, they belong to hidekaz himaruya and studio ghibili respectively!

* * *

Arthur sat on a hill, staring at the creamy clouds as they slowly rolled by the sky. A light summer wind blew, making the tree he was leaning against sway and creak.

Arthur's short black robe fluttered a little, and his pale legs stood out as a huge contrast to the dark, lush, green grass under him.

Sitting next to Arthur was his bag, a couple of his things sprawled out upon the grass. His small bottle of pills in case he got a horrible migraine whilst he went out, and his small notebook with a pen.

Leaning against the old oak tree too stood a pale, old, yellow radio. It's static, combined with the yammering of commentators were one of the only things keeping Arthur awake as he rested. His hands kept on fidgeting, clasping and unclasping as he waited with enormous anticipation for what the weather broadcast would be.

This small broadcast would determine if he were to leave tonight, to start his journey to become a professional witch. His trial of apprenticeship, and of learning to operate by himself with his magic.

Arthur opened his clear green eyes wider as he heard an old truck go down the road he was near. He watched the old blue machine roll its way up the steep hill.

He turned his head as it slowly passed the white fence of his house down the road. His hands fidgeted again.

Then, suddenly, the music changed. Arthur quickly glanced down at the small radio. It was time.

Arthur knew this music almost by heart now-he had listened many a time to the broadcast when he was small, dreaming when he'd get better and it would finally be his turn to leave home and prove himself.

He held his breath as the weatherman introduced himself, and then it began.

"And tonight's night will be a fine summer one! Clear skies, and no storms at all; even for the next week! It will be cloudy, but only for three days this week!" the man said in an exuberant voice.

Arthur shot up as he heard the news. He quickly shoved all of his strewn stuff into his bag. Turning up the volume of the broadcast, he also put the radio in his bag.

With no time to waste, Arthur took off in a light jog. Although running tired him out, and his mother greatly discouraged it for fear of a health relapse, Arthur hastily clambered down the hill.

As he crossed the road and slipped into his yard from the gate, Arthur wished he had brought his broomstick.

"Mum!" he cried out, excitement rushing from him like an overflowing sink. " _Mum!_ Allistor! Dylan! Patrick!"

Arthur reached his front door and swung it open. To his satisfaction, the hinges didn't a make noise. That meant his magic had worked-once again!

"Hey! Wait!" A sharp call cried out behind him. Before Arthur could even turn around he was pushed forward by a heavy weight leaning on his shoulders.

"What's the deal here, Arthur?" A questioning, annoying voice asked right in his ear.

"Get off, you fat arse!" Arthur shrugged, trying to get the big, fluffy white cat off his shoulders.

"What's the what?" The cat asked again, wrapping himself even tighter around Arthur. Arthur then bumped into the umbrella stand, and then walked backwards. His back collided with the old grandfather clock that was pressed against the side of the entryway.

With a sigh of defeat, Arthur stopped struggling and looked up at the ceiling.

Catching his breath, Arthur answered slowly, "it's time, Popcorn. Tonight's the night."

As Arthur rose to his full height again, he adjusted the cat on his shoulders. Being used to what Popcorn liked to do, he made his way around the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Ey! Why're ya making such a' commotion?" Arthur heard Allister call to him. Arthur lazily deposited his bag on the kitchen table, and looked up at his fiery haired brother.

"Allistor, tonight-I'm going to leave tonight! This is one of the best weeks this year, and Mum agreed I could go." Arthur said excitedly to Allistor. He walked next to his brother's side, watching as his brother prepared a sandwich.

"Are you making lunch?" Arthur asked, tipping his head to one side.

"Oh! Get me some tuna-now that I'm thinkin' of it I'm pretty hungry too!"

"Yeah, ma' lunch. Don't know what yer thinkin' of. Yae can maek yourself one!" Allistor rolled his eyes, staring at Popcorn. "I don't think Ma will approve with ya leavin' yet."

"She will," Arthur declared. "She has to… I've waited this long."

Allistor looked down at his youngest brother. A small smile slipped on his lips.

"I'll back yae up," he mumbled. "This is important to yae af'ter all." Allistor lifted his sandwich up to his mouth, and then, to just annoy his brother, reached down with his sticky hand and ruffled his head.

"Oi! What the bloody hell are you doing?" Arthur jumped back, causing Popcorn to dig his claws further into Arthur's shoulders.

"Arthurrr~~ don't swear, my sickly wee one," Dylan's voice drifted through the air.

"He got ya there," Popcorn meowed into Arthur's ear. Arthur gave a _humph_ in response.

"Hello Dylan," Arthur said blearily. Dylan, with his short brown hair, smiled. Before the brothers could launch into conversation, Arthur asked, "Where's Mum?"

"I believe she's making potions in the Potion Room," Dylan answered, heading over to the magnet covered refrigerator.

"Thanks," Arthur said. He left his bag and his brothers in the kitchen and went back to the stairs.

"Are you really sure about this?" Popcorn whispered cautiously in his ear.

"Why?" Arthur questioned. "You too scared to come? You don't want to leave?"

"No, no! You know I'll always be by your side, Artie," Popcorn replied, the fluffy Maine Coon nuzzling into Arthur's neck.

With his cat's reassurance, Arthur felt better, even more excited. He had always hoped that Popcorn would come with him when this day arrived-though he'd never admit it to the cat. They had been together for a long time.

Once Arthur got to the top of the stairs, he walked down the short hallway and turned left at an iron entrance.

"Mum?" Arthur asked. "You there?"

Inside the poorly lit room, tables both big and small were crammed to either wall. Bottles upon bottles were crammed onto them, and papers were messily strewn around. Some ragged band posters hung from the walls, and some old cauldrons sat together under a wide window that filtered warm sunlight onto the wall.

"Yes?" Arthur's mother answered. "Arthur, what do you need, dear?"

"Remember last week, when you said I could start planning for my apprenticeship..?" Arthur started. His mother hummed in question.

"I…" Arthur paused, asking his mother this might be the hardest part of him leaving. She never wanted him to leave-especially ever since his illness happened.

But then it was his illness that had stopped him from starting his journey, and that thought alone fueled Arthur.

"C'mon, you've been waiting for this. Don't let it slip," Popcorn hissed in his ear. Popcorn's whiskers prickled his neck. Arthur also took courage from his fluffy friend.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur smoothed out his short robes. His green eyes flicked to his mother, who's back was still to him, blond hair cascading around her shoulders.

"Mum, tonight's the night. I-I'm going to the city. I've already missed most of my years I can go-please, Mum I need to do this. I'm sixteen!" Arthur began slowly.

If she had heard her son, she didn't seem to acknowledge it.

"I don't think that's quite wise," she finally said. "I think you should…" She stopped talking when she turned around. She saw the look on Arthur's face, and she _knew_ that Arthur wouldn't give this up.

"Mum," Arthur said, opening his mouth and coming up with a good argument for her.

"I see, there's no more getting past you on this, is it?" she stated, going back to whatever potions she was mixing

"N-no," Arthur muttered.

"Yeah!" Popcorn meowed. "We're gonna fly on clear skies tonight!"

"You're going too? Actually, never mind." Arthur's mother said. "I'm glad you're coming with him Popcorn."

The cat settled on purring contentedly as a response.

"I suppose we should start packing then," she said. "Go get your bag, and start. I'll get your broom. I'm going to make sure it'll have enough enchantments to hold your weight, your luggage, and that fat cat."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Popcorn hissed, standing up as best he could and his hackles rising.

The rest of Arthur's day flew by fast. By dinner time, he was packed, and his luggage and broomstick stood by the front door.

His mother, Allistor, Dylan, and him all sat around the small kitchen table. They were eating pasta, and Popcorn sat dutifully by Arthur's feet, devouring the mashed beef in his bright red bowl.

"Is Patrick gonna' come already?" Dylan wondered aloud. _At least I don't have to say this out loud_ , Arthur thought.

Patrick had always been more of a lone wolf within the family, and now that he had gotten a job in town the family never really saw him much. Arthur had always spent more time with Allistor and Dylan than Patrick even when he was small.

The light hanging from the ceiling cast a golden glow on Arthur's blond head as he lowered his head to take another bite.

"Still, he should have figured Arthur would choose to leave tonight," his mother objected. "He's been meaning to leave more adamantly these last few weeks."

"It's all right," Arthur said calmly. He took his last bite of the pasta. "I know Pat walks to his own drum. It's not like I won't see him again. Seeing that I've started off late and won't be as gone for as long now…"

"Relax, you will have fun," Dylan said. "'S a long time, you know."

Right after the dinner plates had been cleared and Arthur had finished helping washing up, Popcorn scampered off to the broom.

Arthur followed his cat slowly. Although he was excited to finally, _finally_ leave, he definitely knew he was going to miss home as well.

"So this is it," Allistor stated. The three Kirklands stood around the front of the house.

The cool air made Arthur especially alert. He was going to do this!

"Man, it's chilly," Popcorn meowed, stretching languidly and fluffing out his tail. With a little effort, he jumped up on Arthur's shoulders once again, the huge feline making his shoulders seem small.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur mounted his broom. He looked over at his family, all of their green eyes glistening with sweet goodbyes.

"Well, I'll write to you all when I'm settled." Arthur promised, waving lightly.

"We know you will," his mother said tearily. She seemed to be brushing a small tear from her cheek, to the chuckles of his brothers.

"Artie'll be fine, Mum," Dylan said lightly, patting her shoulder.

"Have a saef trip, wee bairn!" Allistor called, waving energetically in a movement that reminded Arthur of a propeller.

Arthur took a deep breath, and close his eyes. He bent his legs, and without hesitation, he took a deep breath, his mouth rounding with the precious words.

"Fly!" he rasped.

* * *

PS: this chapter was written by tey! popcorn is Americat, and we settled on that name because her favourite food is popcorn and we found it fitting haha.

please leave reviews/favourite/follow!


	2. Acquaintance

hi everyone! this is a collaboration between me and my lovely friend tey, who's _MyCatIsOn_ in AO3 where she's going to publish it :) please check her and her other wonderful stories out!

we'll update once a week!

all **odd chapters** are written by _tey_ , all **even chapters** are written by _me_!

disclaimer: i don't know hetalia nor kiki's delivery service, they belong to hidekaz himaruya and studio ghibili respectively!

* * *

Arthur's breath hitched as the ground seemed to shake beneath him as the wind swelled. With a ferocious kick like his mother had taught him, he launched off the ground and the wind lifted him and his broom far from his home into the dark night sky.

He struggled to get higher as he heard his family's yells behind him and Popcorn clawing onto his robes as they shakily gained altitude, both of Arthur's hands holding onto his broom and his arm awkwardly gripping his satchel as they managed to slowly but surely gain altitude.

His robes fluttered underneath him as he finally heard his family fade from his ears, and there as nothing but him, his cat, the wind blowing in his ears, and the night sky stretching beyond his sight.

"At least you wore those shorts tonight!" Popcorn purred teasingly.

"Don't remind me," Arthur huffed, but as the winds receded he carefully scooped out his radio out from his satchel and slipped it onto the cool wood of his broom. Fumbling for the buttons to turn it on, he gave up when his leg kicked a little too roughly and they were sent tipping sideways.

" _I'll_ get it," Popcorn said, giving a _mrrow_ in annoyance as he reached down to press the button. All of a sudden, a loud commentator startled the pair but Arthur managed to stay on his broom.

"And Stevens is swapped into the roster as Lee comes back into the stands! He's had a good run this season, with seven goals and just short of an-he's _not_ holding back as he zips past number seven and makes a brilliant pass-"

"Isn't footie night tomorrow?" Arthur questioned out loud, wishing that he could turn the volume down, to which Popcorn shook his head and curled around his neck once again.

At home, he'd have a bowl of crisps and would be comfortably nestled in the sofa watching the football tournament. With a pang, Arthur wondered if he was already homesick.

But why _should_ he be? He had waited far too long for this, and most of his friends, Vlad in particular, had nearly _finished_ their training while his sickly self was still stuck at home. It was time to get out there for some adventure!

"We can't turn back now!" he declared, comforted by the fact that it was just him and his cat and the low buzz of the radio. No one could be here to embarrass him anymore! No more teasing, no more laughs, no more fights… "They'll stop calling me a-"

"Ah! I am very sorry!"

* * *

Arthur was yanked out of his thoughts when he felt another person on his right crash against his side, and he whirled around, bringing his broom to a standstill.

The person he had bumped against had raven-black hair and brown eyes, and his expression was contorted into a horrified, apologetic expression.

"I'm so sorry!" Arthur blurted. Oh god, had he already managed to mess up on his first hour alone? "I didn't mean to crash into you like that or anything, I just…"  
"I am sorry as well," the witch amended as well, "I have only started my training last night, I was not looking where I was going and I should have swerved. Please forgive me!"  
"You're new as well?" Arthur asked, his eyes full of questions. "I've just started tonight, actually."  
The witch dipped his head and scratched the back of a black cat who purred, before introducing himself.

"My name is Kiku Honda. It is very nice to meet you, what is your name?" Kiku asked.  
"Um, I'm Arthur. Arthur Kirkland, and it's nice to meet you as well. Do you have an idea where you're headed?"  
"Ah, I am thinking of just flying around until, well, I find someone." Kiku admitted, a blush on his cheeks. "He says he lives in this country that is very far away but has not told me where he lives exactly. That is why I am waiting so long to settle. Do you have anything in mind, Arthur?"  
"Well…I was thinking about going to a large town," Arthur admitted. "One with lots of beautiful views of the ocean, attractive buildings, and lots of adventure." He felt a little embarrassed, but as relieved to see Kiku nod in a friendly gesture.

"Have you thought about what you are going to do with your training? Predict the future, mix potions for people who need them?" Kiku asked, stretching out his arms for a moment before holding tightly onto his broom again.  
"That's a good question," Arthur said slowly, but on the inside he was panicking. He knew his mother had mixed potions for others before and his brothers were looking to opening a spell service for others who couldn't use magic, but there was nothing he could think of. Well, yes, he loved to write, but he couldn't see how that could have helped him with his magic…

"There is a train down there!" Kiku called and pointed eagerly, interrupting Arthur's train of thought. Sure enough, there was a fire engine red train underneath the two boys. It seemed to have stopped for the night, but the sight still took Arthur's breath away. He had only seen a train a handful of times in his life, since he lived in a rural community where everyone got around in bikes or on foot, and rare supplies, like animal furs or ink, were brought by locomotive train every six months.

The two boys marvelled at the train, talking animatedly as the began to slowly move forward together, when-

-there was a rush, a huge _clack_ of thunder and the heavens opened up, pouring down masses of rain onto them.

Kiku yelped in surprise, yanking up his backpack to cover his head and Arthur did the same with his satchel, waking up Popcorn in the process but still barely managing to shield his cat.

"What should we do?" Kiku shouted over the din, his hair already soaked and plastered to his cheekbones. "There does not appear to be any shelter anywhere near us!"  
"What about the train?" Arthur shouted back. "It's not very far away and you said that it was closed for the night!"  
Lashing out for his radio, which he shut off and stuffed in his satchel, Arthur and Kiku sped downwards as fast as their newly minted brooms would take them to the train, even more colourful now that the night sky was streaked with lightning. Popcorn had nestled as much of his fur underneath Arthur's shaggy hair, and Kiku's feline was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Coming to a clumsy halt and wincing when his feet slammed onto the hard surface of the train roof, Arthur yanked open the compartment door…only to find that it was jammed shut. From the corner of his vision, he could see Kiku tap at the one behind him just to come short. Running across the tops of the trains very carefully just to be sure that they would not slip and fall down the cracks in the night, they tugged open each compartment window until they found one that would empty, stuffed full of soft looking hay.

"This'll have to do!" he called, and without a moment's hesitation he jumped into the window and landed in the hay face first, backing into a corner before he heard Kiku land in with an _oof_.

"Are you all right, Arthur?" Kiku asked, panting heavily as he closed the compartment door shut. There was a _click_ and a dim flashlight made its presence known in his hand, and Arthur was able to see his companion in the not-so forbidding darkness.

"I'm fine, thank you! The hay's soft," Arthur said, scooping up a handful and dropping it to one side with a grimacing smile.

"Should we call it a night?" came the exhausted question.

Arthur nodded hastily, pushing his broom and satchel to one side, Popcorn jumping out and shaking out his fur. Shaking out his dress, he pulled it over his head to show his white shirt before he heard a yelp from Kiku's side. Turning around abruptly, thinking that there was a problem with the other boy, he found Kiku turning very red, almost matching the train they were in.

"C-Clothes!" the other boy nearly shrieked, pointing a trembling, very embarrassed finger at him. "P…Please put some clothes on!"

"I'm not naked!" Arthur protested, but Kiku's face had turned almost cherry and was refusing to look, so with a sigh Arthur pulled his clothes back on. Of course, they were dry, but the compartment they were in was suitably heated and Arthur could only hope that his dress would dry among the hay.

"He _seems_ like a very squeamish person," Hero meowed amusedly before he pressed his nose to the wall of the compartment and buried himself in the hay. "All right, goodnight, Arthur."  
Arthur responded with giving his tom a quick massage between the ears and curling into the hay, stretching his toes as far as he dared to go. By now Kiku had decided to turn around again and the blush in his cheeks had calmed down somewhat and he had gotten ready for bed as well, pulling out a pair of glasses and slipping them on.

"Are, um, those your reading glasses?" Arthur asked after an awkward silence.

"Ah no, I wear contacts so that I may see better. My mother once told me that glasses could easily fall off in a flight, and it would be very difficult to catch them whilst airborne." Kiku confided.

As the two of them talked in a low volume as the rain continued to noisily fall onto their compartment, Arthur felt his eyelids subconsciously begin to droop, and he rubbed them before readjusting his position to try to wake himself up. Kiku had been rifling in his backpack for the notes that Arthur had been asking about when he let out a small yawn that he quickly began to cover.

"Should we get to sleep soon? I suppose we should settle down for the night because the train might move."  
"Of course," Kiku said softly, stroking the top of the letters lovingly for another moment before storing them back in his front bag. "Have a good rest, Arthur."  
"You too, Kiku." Arthur responded blearily before nestling into the hay a little deeper, then closing his eyes and turning his head listlessly.

He fell asleep to the sound of the raindrops and Kiku's soft breathing.

* * *

don't blame me, i love kiku and arthur's friendship a lot.

PS: this chapter was written by _me_! also, would anyone like to see review replies? we've already received 3 reviews (aah!) and i think it would be a nice way to give back. :)

please leave reviews/favourites and follow the story to help it out!


	3. Back On The Road

hi everyone! this is a collaboration between me and my lovely friend tey, who's _MyCatIsOn_ in AO3 where she's going to publish it :) please check her and her other wonderful stories out!

we'll update once a week!

all **odd chapters** are written by _tey_ , all **even chapters** are written by _me_!

disclaimer: i don't know hetalia nor kiki's delivery service, they belong to hidekaz himaruya and studio ghibili respectively!

* * *

Arthur awoke to a harsh lurch. It took him a moment to get his bearings, but once he did the witch realized that the train had started moving, and he was hearing the loud thrum of the engine.

Arthur sat up, rubbing his arms. He was still chilly, but the prickly hay had definitely kept him warm for the most part.

His dress, he noticed, was a little damp and Arthur asked himself blearily why the bollocks he hadn't taken it off.

And then Arthur remembered the sudden storm, and the friend he had made. Kiku, Arthur remembered, had been quite embarrassed when Arthur had taken off his dress and laid in his shorts.

He glanced over to see the black haired boy sleeping soundly, and his black was curled up next to him.

The light in the train cabin was dim, and the air was slightly musty. Slowly, Arthur stood up.

He was a little bit wobbly, not used to the train's constant rocking. Arthur didn't fancy falling on his new friend.

Arthur carefully lifted up his arms, and opened the compartment door at the top. Fine sunlight shone through, like hope through prison bars.

The train was chugging quite fast now, and whisks of wind blew Arthur's blond locks.

Arthur was too busy looking up at the cheerful blue sky to realize that he was slowly slipping downwards until some of the hay started to lightly dig into his skin.

"Ah!" Arthur jumped, which further helped gravity slide him down.

Arthur kept on slipping down through the thick hay, until he stopped when he felt tight rope holding him up.

Were they in some kind of contraption that was holding up the hay? He thought. Arthur tried to kick up, but all his feet would do was fly through the air.

"Popcorn!" Arthur whisper yelled. "Help me!"

It took a few minutes, but soon the Maine Coon came padding over to see the small hole Arthur fell through.

"Oh, look at you Arthur!" Popcorn yowled. "Haha!"

The cat stopped snickering when he saw Arthur's gloomy face.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked, shaking his furry face. "I'm just a cat."

"Yeah, well," Arthur paused. Why did he call Popcorn over? It's not like the cat could help pull him up. He needed Kiku, who was fast asleep.

He shifted uncomfortably. The hay was really starting to hurt now. The gold ends kept on pricking his skin and was getting tangled in his hair.

"Well then wake Kiku, I guess" he decided.

"Sure thing!" The cat meowed, turning around and flicking his fluffy, white tail.

Arthur hoped that Popcorn wouldn't Kiku up rudely, the boy was a such a kind and polite person.

Arthur heard the crinkling sounds, and then Kiku crawled into sight, running his tired eyes.

"Ah! Good morning Arthur. I will help you up immediately!" He said. Kiku leaned down and gave Arthur his hand. Arthur reached up to hold on, but then froze. Arthur's green eyes widened immensely.

"Arthur? Is something wrong?" Kiku questioned, cocking his head to the side. "What is it?"

Arthur looked down slowly at his leg. Something big, and furry was nudging his outstretched leg. An then the thing _licked_ him!

The supposed tongue was smooth, and wet. It left dribbles of saliva roll down the rest of Arthur's leg and then there was a small nip at his toes.

Arthur opened his mouth wide, and Kiku put on an uncomfortable facial expression. Arthur looked quite ridiculous, deep in the hay with a surprised and horrified face.

The sound that came out of Arthur's mouth was a blood-curdling scream. His scream could've woken the dead, it was so loud!

Kiku jumped back, but then crawled forward again.

"S-something," Arthur started, his accent thick. "T-touched, no, just _licked_ my leg and bit my foot!"

After a minute of calming Arthur down, Kiku was able to haul Arthur up. Once the two boys were both lying on the hay, Arthur sighed in relief.

"Th...Thank you Kiku." He said, an embarrassed blush working its way across his face. "I was not expecting this morning to start such a way."

"Well I'll say," Popcorn cut in.

"Hai, neither did I," Kiku agreed. Before Kiku could speak more, a loud ' _Moooo!'_ sound was heard under them.

"Oh, it seems like there are cows down there," Kiku said. "No need to be frightened anymore, Arthur."

This comment only furthered Arthur's embarrassment even more. The blond put his hands on his face.

"Mortifying," he muttered to himself.

Once the two witches got settled once again, Arthur dug through his pack.

"You must be hungry, right?" He asked Kiku. "Let me give you some baked scones I made a day ago."

"Ah, yes please. Thank you," Kiku bowed his head. "I would like those very much."

Arthur pulled out the container, and opened it, sliding the lid off.

"Here," he handed Kiku the bread. Or rather, once bread. It had dark spots on it, and the bread seemed to have a crumbly component in it.

"Um, actually," Kiku started. It seemed to Arthur that he was feigning innocence, and trying to refuse his food. Well, Arthur thought, he doesn't know what he's missing.

"It seems I am not feeling so hungry after all, thank you though," he said nervously.

"Suit yourself," Arthur replied, saving Kiku from the moment.

After Arthur had eaten some of his scones, and Kiku was organizing his things, the two seemed to come to the same idea; it was time to move on.

As the two started to gather their things, Popcorn spoke up, "are we really leaving now? We just woke up."

"Yes, we are," Arthur huffed.

The two witches climbed up to the top, bracing themselves as the wind blew roughly on top of the train.

"I suppose this is it," Arthur said, standing and holding his broom close.

"Yes, it is," Kiku smiled. "It was nice to meet you Arthur. I want you luck on your journey!"

"And I to you. I hope you find whoever you're looking for," Arthur said.

Arthur leaned in, spreading his arms as if to hug the other witch, but Kiku stepped back near the edge of the train. So Kiku's not the hugging type, Arthur thought glumly.

Right before the two were about to launch up into the sky, Kiku cried, "wait! Please!"

Arthur paused in his action, and Popcorn kneaded his claws into Arthur's dress.

Kiku started to dig through his pack, and then brought out a bright red ribbon.

"Here," he said, handing it to Arthur. Arthur's eyes widened for the second time that morning. "I want you to have this, please."

"Th-thank you Kiku," Arthur stammered.

"It is charmed, Arthur," Kiku said brightly. It should keep you safe."

Arthur opened his mouth, almost to refuse, but noticed Kiku's cat poking it's head from Kiku's bag.

Before Arthur could even make a sound, Kiku made a tiny wave, and shot off on his broom. Arthur watched his friend fly off, higher and higher.

* * *

"What are you waiting for? Let's go, Arthur!" Popcorn meowed. Without hesitating, Arthur followed his friend's actions. He, too, shot off and made his way North.

For the most part of his day during his flight, Arthur listened to the radio. It was mostly playing old, town-y music, but it made his flight enjoyable.

Sometimes, when Arthur noticed he was flying over patches of water, Seagulls would fly next to him.

The sights he saw really were amazing, and Arthur mentally thanked the stars that he was a witch, and that he could fly.

However, eventually Popcorn began to become hungry. Arthur always knew when Popcorn would get irritable and why.

"C'mon…" The cat whined. "Land. I'm hungry Arthur! You may have gotten to eat those, those shit-scones-"

"Hey, language Popcorn," Arthur chastised.

"-but I didn't get to have anything!" Popcorn continued, ignoring Arthur's comment.

"Okay, we will land when I see the next town-or village," Arthur reasoned. When the cat darted into Arthur's bag, which was hanging off the broom stick, Arthur didn't mention they had already flown over two villages.

If Arthur was going to land, he was going to make sure he would be in a town, like the one he wanted. He was determined to find the place he wanted today!

After a while, the Maine Coon stuck his head out.

"Arthur…" the cat growled. "I. Am. H. U. N. G. Y!"

Arthur couldn't help but smile at his fowl tempered cat. He said, "your forgot the 'R' in hungry, love."

Popcorn hissed, and before Arthur knew what the fat cat was doing Kiku's ribbon was in his mouth.

Arthur bent over his broom, startled, and irritation was starting to grow on him.

"Popcorn," he said profusely, "put. It. Back. Now!"

"No!" The cat yowled. "I'm hungry!"

The white cat opened his mouth, and then the ribbon was ripped away from Arthur by the air currents.

"Popcorn!" He cried, "damn you..!"

Arthur swerved downwards, his arm outstretched. Popcorn shuffled back into Arthur's bag as the broom went this way and that, like a kite bobbing roughly in the wind.

The red ribbon stood out clearly in the clear day, and as soon as Arthur neared it, it whisked away again.

Alright, this is it! Arthur seethed. He took a breath, and then, remembering how his mother always told him that angling the broom different ways helped make it go faster.

"Popcorn, I bet you regret doing that!" Arthur shouted, angling his broom so that it faced downwards. "We're going down!"

Popcorn mewled loudly, and Arthur plunged through the howling wind. If he could just get under the small, magical fabric, he could grab it easily! He was sure!

Arthur dived farther down in the sky, the trees under them getting bigger and bigger as they neared the ground.

"Here we go!" Arthur shouted. His neck snapped his head up from the large altitudes he was going through, and Arthur angled his broom straight up again.

Arthur held his broom one handed, his hand holding onto his broom so tightly his knuckles were popping out and his skin stretched.

The ribbon seemed to delicately flutter compared to how Arthur was zipping through the sky. Arthur breathed, and made sure his arm was in the right position to grab it, and then shut his eyes.

The broom's momentum was fast, but then, suddenly, it seemed to stop. The magic seemed to make the broomstick more soaring than ripping through the sky.

In that moment, Arthur's fingers curled gently around the small cloth, and there was peace.

And then suddenly the momentum was back, swinging Arthur around and wrenching his broomstick in zigzags.

At one point was sure he flipped, and he hoped that Popcorn was okay.

"Arthur!" A yowl cried. "Land! Land!"

Arthur tried his best slow down, tilting the broom down and the up, and back and forth.

The broom slept came to a halt, and Arthur found himself slowly tumbling down to the ground until he gained more control.

Arthur quivered, floating right above the ground until he landed with a thud. With his feet touching the ground Arthur collapsed, red ribbon in still rightly in his grasp.

"H...how the hell… Did… That.." Arthur panted, heart still racing.

"Land ho!" Popcorn sniffed, jumping heavily to the ground. The cat rolled on the ground, and then got up and trotted away to hairball. Arthur felt nauseous himself.

Arthur sat, staring at the ground. He expected it to be grass, and wildflowers, but instead it was concrete.

"Wait a minute," Arthur breathed. "This is a road! And that will lead us to a town."

Arthur turned his head and found a familiar white lump sitting near him.

"Popcorn," Arthur called out wearily. "This is a road. We can walk the rest of the way, as find food too."

Popcorn looked over, hissing in annoyance, his ears folded backwards.

"Fine!" He sniffed, getting up. He started to walk down the road. "So we just go in a storeroom and hope it leads us somewhere, right?"

"Yes," Arthur said, self conciously knowing what a stupid idea this was. "Let's not fly for a little while, eh?"

Even though the day was not a sweltering one, it felt warmer than it was up in the air, Arthr noticed. He brought his broom closer as he walked.

The two companions did not have to walk far, for soon they they heard a bumbling engine.

"Popcorn, on my shoulders! They might not see you," Arthur called. The cat in response 'hurumphed!' , but jumped all the same onto Arthur's shoulders.

* * *

PS: This chapter was written by _tey_! The next one's coming along, I promise haha. i'll ask her to leave something for next week :)

please leave reviews/favourite/follow!


	4. Town

hi everyone! this is a collaboration between me and my lovely friend tey, who's _MyCatIsOn_ in AO3 where she's going to publish it :) please check her and her other wonderful stories out!

we'll update once a week!

all **odd chapters** are written by _tey_ , all **even chapters** are written by _me_!

disclaimer: i don't know hetalia nor kiki's delivery service, they belong to hidekaz himaruya and studio ghibili respectively!

* * *

"Young man, do you need something?"

Arthur gripped his broom tighter in his hands before lifting his gaze up to meet the driver. The engine had become quieter now, but it still chortled away. How did it keep going without someone working it?

"Um…no," Arthur said awkwardly, shifting his weight from side to side. "Except, um, does this road lead to a town?"

"Well, you're in luck! It does, in fact. A lovely little town by the sea," the driver nodded, adjusting his glasses merrily. "Just follow the road to the end, where you'll see a huge clock tower."

Arthur's eyes went wide. This was so much more than he had been hoping for! He'd never even expected that there would be such a beautiful structure so far into his trip.

"T-thank you, sir!" he said hurriedly, mounting his broom and standing on his tiptoes. "Thank you so very much!"

With a _whoosh_ , he jumped off the ground and flew excitedly towards the direction of the road, a beam on his face.

"Was that a real witch?" the driver muttered to himself as he got into his car and turned the ignition back on. "I'd never thought I'd live to see the day."

"AAARTHURR!" Popcorn wailed, digging in his claws into the soft fabric of his bag. "Why are we going so fast?"

"I think we've found the perfect town!" Arthur said, kicking his legs merrily as they soared above the bicycles and the cars on the road they were following. "It should have a view of the ocean, right? Rolling fields, small cottages, and a _clock tower_? It sounds like something out from my books!"

"Yeah, but didn't you say something about walking and finding food?"

"No time!" Arthur sang, turning on the radio once he was confident that the drivers below wouldn't hear it. "We'll pick up something when we get there. Our new town awaits!"

They continued on the long, gray road, cheerful and sweet music filling their trip instead of the usual shouty football commentary.

"Arthurrr, I think some people are staring at us," Popcorn meowed, flicking his tail from side to side as he peered over Arthur's broom and spotted two humans standing completely still with their heads raised to the sky. "Should we climb down and walk instead?"

"But we're almost there," Arthur insisted, trying his best to ignore his cat's complaining. "And we're flying…it's near a large town so I suppose people will be staring."

"That doesn't mean I'll have to put up with it!" Popcorn growled, but Arthur shoved his satchel behind his back so he could balance the weight on his broom better. He really needed to get his cat fitter before they could fly for longer periods of time.

After twenty more minutes of flying, Arthur spotted a tall, cream coloured structure right in front of them. Buildings in all shapes and sizes, from cottages with thatched roofs and large bricked buildings flanked it, however it was still the tallest thing in sight.

"Popcorn!" he whispered, wiggling his satchel so it hung off his hip again. "I think we're here."

Popcorn stretched his huge tail before peering wide eyed at the scenery in front of them.

"So? What do you think? Do you think there's someone in the clock tower?" Arthur babbled on eagerly, excitement growing in his throat.

"Does _he_ count?" he meowed, jutting out his pink nose in the direction of the faint shape of a person.

* * *

Arthur craned his neck, his ribbon bobbing on top of his head to peer closer at the person as they flew closer. He quickly found himself in almost direct proportion to the huge clock face, the two slender hands merrily ticking away as a tall man with blond hair came out of a small door with a long brush.

"Should we ask him if there's any other witches in the neighbourhood?" Arthur asked, hovering for a moment uncertainly.

It wasn't a taboo or illegal in witches' law to have more than one witch live in a town for their apprenticeships at the same time, but it was frowned upon because the custom was to have a trainee witch to be as independent as possible while still remaining true to their customs.

"Excuse me, sir?" Arthur called as he floated closer, and the man stopped still for a moment, his back to the young witch.

"Sir?" Arthur asked, flying so close that his black flats were dangling right in front of the balcony.

The blond man paused for another moment, rubbing his hand over his slicked back hair before turning over with one of the most terrifying and intimidating expression on his face that Arthur had ever seen.

Yelping in surprise, Arthur swung back for a moment, his feet wavering precariously in mid air for a moment before the stranger's expression calmed down and relaxed into a far less scarier (but still very, very stern) face.

" _Mein Gott_ , I'd never thought I'd ever see the day," he muttered, placing down his brush. His ice blue eyes pierced Arthur.

"State your business in this city."

"Um, hello…my name is Arthur, and I'm a witch in training. Could I ask if there are any other witches here in this town?" he asked, placing his feet back onto the railing.

"No," he said gruffly. "I would have seen them when they entered this town. The name's Ludwig, if you must know. Are you _really_ a witch?"

Arthur's expression was indignant as he quickly nodded.

"O-of course! I'll have you know that I'm an immediate trainee effective from last night!"

Ludwig seemed to accept this with a grunt, and there was an odd silence before Arthur spoke again.

"Er, so about my apprenticeship, is there anywhere you think I might settle?"

"No, I do not believe so. I suppose you could take a quick fly around the city, perhaps?" Ludwig offered, brushing off some dust from his strong looking arms.

"…that sounds like a good idea, actually." Arthur said, pushing back his satchel yet again and kicking off from the railing, quickly thanking and waving to Ludwig before he soared back down into the town.

It was a lot more bustling and loud than Arthur thought it was going to be, the chatter of the people and the noises of the newfangled transportation that he only had read about in storybooks making him slow down and float forward rather than zipping around the city like he'd planned before.

"Arthur, we'd said before that I'd want you to slow down, but this is going a little _too_ slow," Popcorn complained, peering down from his satchel into the people below. "They're _staring_ …"

"Well, Ludwig said that there wasn't a witch in the town as of right now, so I'm not exactly surprised." Arthur said, but couldn't help the feeling of being stared at by adults and children alike.

"Hey, what's with them staring at us?" Popcorn hissed, raising his hackles and baring his teeth at a gaggle of teenagers sitting in a car. "You're just jealous!"

"Don't be silly, Popcorn," Arthur said, but his tone was uncertain as he hovered high above a bridge, hearing the commotion underneath him as he passed and flew back down. "Perhaps we should stop for lunch…is there a nice bakery somewhere? Maybe we could eat some pasta, or do you think they serve some good bangers and mash here? I definitely hope they do-"

Popcorn yowled in shock, but Arthur was so engrossed in his own thoughts of delicious, smoking hot _bangers and mash_ that he didn't notice the large double decker bus moving around a corner to meet him. With a screech, he swerved wildly, his broom jerking out of control as it was not familiar with the owner. Before Arthur could realize it, the broom had taken more control, swerving and sliding alongside cars and other carriages before they came to a breathless stop just outside a corner on a bridge.

* * *

Gilbert was goofing around like a stupid madman when he saw the _thing_ in the sky.

"Alfie, why are you removing your sunglasses? It is _trés_ hot today, no?" Francis said. He was one of his friends that had moved from a strange country named France, that apparently made his tone like a cat's purr and sent shivers down Alfred's spine every time he rolled his _r's._

"No, I just saw somethin'. You know, in the sky and stuff?"

"Ooh, is it a bird?" Antonio asked. He was the third in the Bad Friends Trio, a gang that Alfred hung out with a lot of the time. He usually brought along his best friend Matthias, a boy that had come from the cold, wet North of the world.

"Dunno," Matthias snickered, popping a sweet in his mouth. "Maybe Al's just seeing stuff because we have Flying Club meeting soon/"

"No, I'm not!" Alfred protested wildly, pulling on his orange and white striped shirt irritably. "I saw it, I swear!"

The four of his friends nodded, continuing to eat their ice cream. Alfred had guzzled his down in a flash anyway, but they decided to allow him to ramble on. It wasn't the first time Alfred had gotten excited over a flying thing, when the first plane had flew over their little town Alfred had practically ran over a small boy trying to keep up with the machine.

"Heh, he's gonna tell us there's a flying person next," Gilbert snarked, pulling Alfred over for a moment and ruffling his hair. "Leave the birdwatchers to the pros, kid."

Alfred pouted, sticking out his bottom lip. Gilbert thought for a moment that he might have found that cute, but he couldn't help but think of his cute brother instead.

"Wait - what _is_ that thing?" Francis said, abruptly stopping in the pavement right between a shoe shop.

"A bird?" Antonio chirruped.

"NO, you clueless fool," Gilbert snorted, his rough accent thickening on the first word. "Alfred already said-"

"It's him! From this morning!" Alfred cried, and began rushing out onto the road when Matthias pulled the edge of his striped shirt and yanked him back onto the cobbled stones.

"All right, all right, we believe you," he said, looking up uncertainly into the sky where something, _someone_ was floating above them. "But don't getchaself killed,aight?"

* * *

PS: This chapter was written by me! I'm so relieved I got it out on time!

please leave reviews/favourite/follow!


	5. Meeting

hi everyone! this is a collaboration between me and my lovely friend tey, who's _MyCatIsOn_ in AO3 where she's going to publish it :) please check her and her other wonderful stories out!

we'll update once a week!

all **odd chapters** are written by _tey_ , all **even chapters** are written by _me_!

disclaimer: i don't know hetalia nor kiki's delivery service, they belong to hidekaz himaruya and studio ghibili respectively!

* * *

"That was tooo close Arthur!" Popcorn snapped. The big fluff ball weaved angrily around Arthur's bare legs, his hair tickling his skin. "Why didn't you look where you were going?!"

"It's fine!" Arthur sighed. "I agree, it was rather close but in the end I got the situation under control. Calm down. Now don't you want some food?"

At the mention of food Popcorn perked up. The cat instantly stopped complaining.

"Now let's get go," Arthur huffed. "I think we should continue over this bridge to the other side!"

Arthur turned on his heel, clutching his broomstick close to his side, and his backpack bumping against his back.

"I wonder where we can get some Bangers and Mash anyways…" He muttered. After the two reached the end of the bridge, they noticed the street splitting off in two directions.

The road was a cheerful one, which went well with the sunny day they were having. It almost made the dark road beneath them shine.

People of all different colors, and clothing, were milling around the nice day. They all seemed happy, and just seeing this part of the town had Arthur's mind made up.

"I think we should stay here," Arthur told his cat. Popcorn ignored him. Instead of answering the cat stalked off down the street to the left.

"Hey wait up!" Arthur hissed, and dashed to keep up with his cross cat. Arthur always forgot how snippy Popcorn could be if he couldn't have his cat.

Popcorn stopped walking, pausing to sniff the air. The cat turned his fluffy head and said, "I smell some food down that street. Let's go!"

Before Arthur could move Popcorn then jumped and half scrambled up only Arthur's shoulders.

"Watch it!" Arthur sighed as one of the cat's delicate paws pushed hard on his neck.

Arthur started down the street, allowing Popcorn to get settled. His stomach rumbles, and he paused as he looked around. Nobody seemed to notice, though a few people were looking at his broom with questioning eyes.

Trying his best to ignore the onlookers, Arthur walked past the crowd and little golden colored shops.

"There!" Popcorn mewled loudly. Following Popcorn's pointing paw, Arthur laid eyes on a small café. It wasn't crowded, and there was some nice seating in the shade under large trees.

Much to Arthur's delight, he noticed nothing of the shop seemed that fancy. He wouldn't have to pay much then!

* * *

Arthur made his way to the dark seats and table, sitting down nearest to the café entrance. The door was open, thanks to a small doorstop, and a wind chime rang out as a soft breeze past by.

"Oh! Hello there!" An enthusiastic voice snatched Arthur's attention from the little silver chime.

"H-hello," Arthur bowed his head in greeting. His red bow bobbed on his head. Arthur looked at the waiter. He (or she, he couldn't tell just yet), had shoulder length blond hair, and blue eyes. They were also sort of short, and wore a striped white and pink blouse with a long apron going down to their ankles.

"I, like, totally like your bow. It's cute," the waiter said.

"Oh, um, thank you," Arthur replied. "A friend gave it to me."

"That's like, so nice of them!" Came the happy reply. "I'm Feliks, and I'm your waiter for the day. So, like, what do you want? Coffee? A bagel? Hashbrowns? Breakfast options are just about to end."

"Um…" Arthur quickly looked down to the menu on the table. He scanned fast, and decided to order bagel, tea, and hash browns to Popcorn's hushed insistence.

"Oh, and like," Feliks said, after writing down Arthur's order and staring over at Popcorn. "That's, like, a really cute and fluffy cat."

"Oh yes," Arthur said, blinking his bright green eyes. "This is Popcorn," he gestured.

"And he's like totally one too, just, like, squishier!" Feliks replied animatedly.

Once the exuberant man left, Arthur figured, he sighed. Yawning, Arthur wiped his eyes. Sitting down suddenly had made him a bit tired. Flying fast really did seem to take it out on him.

"I can't wait for breakfast!" Popcorn mewed on, though Arthur wasn't listening.

Arthur heard some lady laugh in the crowd, and heard the clicking and clacking of heels and harder footsteps. Seabirds cried loudly as they soared high in the sky, and loud sounds from vehicles and trains could be heard a little ways off.

"I hope I can find a job for my apprenticeship," Arthur mumbled to himself. "This town seems as wonderful as I imagined."

As Arthur started to seep into his mind of worrying thoughts, he was hit with the instant smell of food. Now his stomach was really growling much to Arthur's embarrassment.

Feliks stepped back outside holding a large metal tray. He plopped it nearly on a neighboring table and then started to unload the tea and food.

"So, like, here you go and enjoy," Feliks said. Pivoting back inside holding the tray, Feliks flipped a curl from his blond locks in a fluid motion.

"Aw YES!" Popcorn cried, stumbling onto the table and peering down at his warm hash browns. Slowly, minding the light steam and hotness of the substance, the cat nibbled the food.

Arthur took a light sip of his tea, and glancing down at his bag lying between his feet and making sure his broom wasn't in any danger of accidentally being knocked down.

Just as Arthur was spreading the cream cheese, a loud shout came from across the street. Whipping his head up, he saw a group of boys trying to get past people.

The group didn't seem threatening, though Arthur didn't like the way the one in the front was acting, although his charm was something he couldn't resist-

-What?

From what Arthur could see, he had slightly darker wheat colored hair, and glasses. He was tall, wore jeans and an orange striped T-shirt, along with glasses perching comfortably on his face.

His friends were keeping up with him, though shoving through the small masses of people on the road.

"How loud," Arthur observed, finishing his spread of the cream cheese and taking a bite out of the bagel toasted bagel.

"Yeah, but I bet I could be louder!" Popcorn's tail twitched as he meowed.

"Hush," Arthur shook his blond head.

He was only halfway done with his tea, looking down at his plate, when suddenly hands slammed hard on the table.

Popcorn yowled, and jumped into Arthur's lap which then caused him to spill his tea over the table. Arthur flinched, and a glare was faster made evident on his face.

Narrowing his bushy eyebrows in discontent, Arthur stared up at the jubilant face of the boy he had observed moment before.

His eyes were a sparkling blue, it took Arthur off guard for a second, and the boy's facial expression was stretched in a wide grin. His friends stood by, though a little ways away from Arthur's table.

"E-excuse me?" Arthur stuttered out, getting back his anger and getting ready to fire this boy up.

"I said 'hey!'" The boy clarified, nodding his head. Arthur noted a bit of hair stuck up in the air, bobbing along with his movements.

"M-my name's-s Alfre-fred!" The boy, Alfred, fell over on his words. "I just saw you flying! Geez! Man, how do you do it?! And why do you have a big bow on your head and wearing a dress? What's with the dark colors? Anyways; how does you machine work-"

"That's it! Stop it right there!" Arthur interrupted, slamming his tea down so that its rattled a little. Arthur instantly stood up and leaned in towards Alfred, pushing a finger into his chest, trying to ignore how bloody _firm_ it was.

"Wha…?" Alfred started to say.

Arthur decided he wouldn't let this, this Alfred kid bother and bombard him with questions.

"Who do you think you are? Bounding in suddenly into someone's own, peaceful breakfast without a care in the world?! How rude you are, leave me alone you idiotic tosser; this said someone is not in the mood for anyone like you to appear out of the blue!" Arthur snapped, pressing his finger into Alfred's, not that Arthur would admit it but, sturdy chest.

Alfred took a step back, his wide grin slowly shrinking into a small smile. Man, he thought, this dude really had an accent to moon about!

"Calm down, don't get yourself wound up, chill. I saw you fly, and I know almost everything about flying contraptions, mostly planes, and there's no way you could fly on that broomstick! I'm a curious man," Alfred countered back, not at all deterred at Arthur's short rant to him.

"It's magic, not a bloody machine you fool," Arthur sighed, exasperatedly.

"How?" Alfred shook his head. "There's no such thing as magic, though there doesn't seem to be much machinery either…" He started at Arthur's resting broomstick.

Arthur's eyebrows slid lower, making the frown on his face unmissable to onlookers. Arthur clenched his fist, and he felt Popcorn rubbing against his legs in a futile attempt to comfort him.

"Shut up," Arthur said plainly. "You don't seem to know anything about this subject, I'd appreciate it if you would leave. Don't insult me when you know nothing of the kind with magic!"

"Calm down dude, geez," Alfred half laughed. Even so, it seemed Alfred had decided to take a small step back closer to his friends.

This short, seemingly crossdressing boy look venomously scary when mad, even with his cute eyebrows bunched in a frown.

"Eyy!" A hand on a shoulder clapped Alfred on his shoulder. Alfred turned to see his friend Gilbert, with his silvery white hair and dark, reddish tinted eyes.

"If," Gilbert said; half laughing, "magic is real, then prove it. Awesome eyes always need proof. Kesesesese…!"

This situation wasn't turning out how he'd imagined it a couple of moments before. Alfred signed, wishing his friends had _stayed_ behind when he had left them.

Sure, it was fun to see this boy all riled up but Alfred didn't need _Gilbert_ of all people messing up a messy conversation!

"Ah, sorry," a loud but calmer voice eased slowly on the air. On the other side of him, Alfred saw Matthias slide into view.

At least Francis and Antonio seemed to have stayed behind, Alfred thought.

"We all have a bad habit of properly introducing ourselves haha, what's your name? I'm Matthias," Matthias said happily, pointing an extended thumb back at himself.

"My name is Arthur," Arthur grounded out. Just before the situation could become much worse, Feliks appeared, surprise leaking on to his face.

"Alfred? And the gang? Is that, like, really you guys here? What're you doing guys like, doing here? Are you bothering Toris's and my customer? Cause that, like, wouldn't be cool," Feliks stepped forward.

"Oh! Hey Feliks," Alfred said. He hadn't realized they were at this café.

"You know, Alfred, if you want to we can still, like, try to hit up sometime if you want to? I know we had, just like, a total moment between us one time," Feliks battered his eyelashes in a seductive way.

Alfred felt his cheeks flush up, and he looked away, not really wanting to meet the pair of glistening green eyes that seemed so full of passion out of embarrassment.

"Uh, not really. No, sorry Feliks dude," Alfred said. Matthias already started walking away, and Gilbert started to inch away too.

Arthur stood, not quite it shock but in some mortification. How had this meeting begun so jokingly, with anger and fierce irritation, to an embarrassing refusal of the past? Who were those people he was surrounded with?

"Don't like, worry you all. I'm just fine," smiled Feliks, rolling his eyes in a care free way. "Arthur, I'll get you your bill."

Once Feliks disappeared back inside, Arthur and Alfred stood awkwardly at each other from across the small wooden table.

"Aha, sorry 'bout this," Alfred rubbed behind his neck sheepishly. "Basically, if you're moving in, I'm around where there large fields and little shops are around town. Y'know, where the planes sometimes go. I'd love to see more about you contraption, dude, magic or not haha."

Arthur grimaced. At least this Alfred boy was trying to be polite now.

"There is magic you stupid oaf," he sniffed.

"Yeah well I'll make sure to see ya around!" Alfred waved characteristically, though the motion was more like a hand salute.

As Alfred walked away, back towards his friends, Arthur let loose an aggravated sigh. He hoped most of the people in this nice town wouldn't be as thick headed as those boys.

Arthur opened his mouth, about to speak to his cat, when he heard the strange silver haired boy laugh and say, "Kesese, he still didn't prove it."

Arthur sunk back into a glare, and before he knew it red sparks sprinkled out from under the group, making them yelp and run down the street in a clumsy flurry.

Arthur couldn't let it go, all through the day as he left the little cafe and explored to town. In fact, Arthur knew his bad mood wouldn't settle until maybe tomorrow.

* * *

Arthur hiked all the way through the busy streets, ignored all the dazzling shops, and eventually started up a hill.

"Arthur?" Popcorn whined. "Where are we going? What happened to looking for a place to stay and work at instead of angrily walking around? This is mostly a town resident area."

"Shush up Popcorn," Arthur said. I can always find a small hotel for us to stay at. You'd just have to hide in my bag."

"Yeah well look," Popcorn stopped trading behind Arthur, the fluffer looking back at the sun. "It looks like the sun'll set soon, calm down and let's go before it gets too dark!"

"Oh calm _yourself_ , Popcorn," Arthur shook his head. "Besides we might as well get up to the top of this small hill. We can fly back down."

They continued on their way, a peaceful feeling sweeping through Arthur's chest even in his irritation.

That nice feeling was seemed to have crashed down on him though, after hearing a baby's cry.

There was a bend in the road, and Popcorn hesitantly stepped ahead. Soon came into view a mother strolling her baby in a stroller.

The poor little thing, to Arthur's chagrin, wouldn't stop screaming. He wondered idly what was wrong but continued on his way. That was any of his business!

"Ah!" He sighed, dropping his bag and broomstick on the tar ground. "Look at that beautiful sunset! The sky is even purple! Nature has its own magic."

Popcorn sat next to Arthur, whose arms were outstretched in a long stretch as he enjoyed the view.

"Ah! Miss? Miiss?!" A sing songy voice called. Arthur looked over, realizing there was a building behind him.

The sign at the top of the doorway and in the windows read, "IDK U DECIDE."

"Look, a bakery," Arthur said to Popcorn. The two stared at the woman emerging from the door. She had long, soft brown hair that was almost to her waist, and a green dress bounded by the powdery apron she wore.

In the round faced woman's hands was a pacifier.

"Oh dear, that poor little babe won't have its paciey," she muttered to herself.

It took a moment for Arthur to orient himself, because he saw the small bulge down her front. This woman was pregnant.

Before he could stop himself, Arthur spoke up, "um, Ma'am, I could take it to the mother. I saw her right down the road." He pointed behind himself.

"Oh," she said, finally taking notice of Arthur and his cat. "That's sweet of you, but I don't think you'll reach them in time. Thank you though."

"No, no, I will," Arthur strode confidently up to the tall woman. He lightly took the pacifier out of her hands warm hands.

She started to protest, but Arthur broke away, rushing to his broomstick and ignoring his cat's surprised meows.

Right as the woman made to grab him Arthur ran and kicked off the ground, sweeping gracefully through the air before disappearing behind the bend.

"What…?" She said, her green eyes opened in shock. She glanced down at the big cat, who was now prowling around the boy's stuff.

Seeing that the woman was just about to turn away from the hill, Arthur swooped down right in front of the stroller.

The woman cried in a shrill, "eek!", before noticing that Arthur was smiling and holding out her baby's pacifier.

Once thanks were said and done, they went separate ways. Arthur flew back up to the top of the hill, where he found the woman from the bakery, and his cat waiting for him.

"Ah! Well hello, I'm Elisabeta, one of the owners of this bakery here," she laughed. "I couldn't help but see that you're a witch. I can only assume you are traveling, huh? Since you've done me a favor, if you don't have anywhere else to go, I'll be happy to have you stay over night. You're a youngster yourself, you know?"

Arthur only stared in reply. He was stunned. He hadn't expected to meet such a friendly person here yet.

* * *

sorry i'll post a chap on wednesday because i was taking a little hiatus :)

PS: This chapter was written by tey! she had her birthday yesterday, so send her lovely messages on AO3 and tumblr (merl_merl) 3

please leave reviews/favourite/follow!


	6. Walk

hi everyone! this is a collaboration between me and my lovely friend tey, who's _MyCatIsOn_ in AO3 where she's going to publish it :) please check her and her other wonderful stories out!

we'll update once a week!

all **odd chapters** are written by _tey_ , all **even chapters** are written by _me_!

disclaimer: i don't know hetalia nor kiki's delivery service, they belong to hidekaz himaruya and studio ghibili respectively!

* * *

"So, what has brought you to our little town?" Elizabeta asked.

Arthur pressed his hands to the warm cup of hot chocolate and took a sip, swallowing the warm, creamy liquid before speaking.

Night had begun to fall upon the said town, and Arthur was more than relieved to put down his heavy bag and Popcorn to fall off his shoulders and to finally sit down. With the exhilarating events of the day, he more than needed to rest.

"Well, for us witches, we usually have a year of training when we become around thirteen to fourteen. But I was a very sickly child, and that's why I'm sixteen this year."

"Ah, I see," Elizabeta hummed, brushing away a lock of her glossy hair. "It is so exciting to have a witch in the house – oh, unless you can levitate my pots and pans or something of the sort?" she laughed loudly.

"I wouldn't do that," Arthur said sheepishly. "But how may I repay you? I don't have much in way of money to pay for lodgings, and I haven't even started a business yet…"

Elizabeta paused, stroking her swollen stomach for a moment in thought before straightening her apron and getting to her feet.

"I do not want to worry you," she said. "But the room itself isn't very up to scratch, I'm afraid. But if you manage to clean it up, it's all yours. For payment, however, as you can see-" she gestured towards her bump. "-I'm not the best worker around. Roderich is always doing the heavy carrying now I'm pregnant, but he's always been suited for the little things like sorting out our displays, bless him. I've got him to lay off and help with things such as looking after the shop when we have rush hour with all those kiddos coming in, but we're both still bombarded with work."

"If I could help in any way, I would love to!" Arthur said, leaping up from his chair. "N-No pay necessary!"

She did a double take before belting into laughter again, and nodded, a wide smile on her face.

"That _would_ be unfair if I don't give you a little wage though, because of course you will need _some_ money to start your little fledgling business. And," she added, rising from her chair and gesturing to him to follow her, "I'll even throw in free breakfast!"

* * *

"Call if ya need help, because Roderich and I will be closing up shortly. Good night, Arthur."

"Goodnight, Ms Elizabeta," Arthur said, doing a little curtsey before running up the stairs where Popcorn was waiting.

"Have you met the elusive Roderich yet?" he meowed, flicking tail.

"No, he's being very quiet," Arthur said, put picked up his boom and went inside the room. "Of course, it can't be as bad as-"

Popcorn padded delicately after him as Arthur surveyed the room with dismay. It obviously had not been used for a long time, judging by the fine layer of dust that covered everything in the room. The bed had a mattress, thank goodness, and an extremely dusty blanket but no pillow. A small side table contained a vase that was cracked up on one side, and a small table sat in the right corner of the room. A bricked up fireplace was placed in the centre, complete with two small stoves, presumably for cooking.

"Arthur, look!" The witch turned around to see his fluffy cat covered in dust, and a small spot that resembled a few pawprints and the imprint of a very big, fat cat.

" _Popcorn!_ " Arthur protested, stalking over to his cat and lifting him off the floor. "Just _look_ at you! I gave you a bath before we left for a reason! You're now a big dustball, how am I going to clean you?"

"You'd better get started with the bed and floor," Popcorn mewed evasively, perching onto the windowsill and cramming it full. "You could use that rusty bucket on the side…what about your ribbon?"

"Of course not!" Arthur scowled, but rummaged into his rucksack for one of his shirts, a green one with a rabbit on it. "I'll use this, I suppose."

He worked late into the night, cleaning off the table and the bed first to put his satchel and his cat on top before moving onto the floor. He wished that there were soap that the smell wouldn't be so stale, but he only made a note on his thick notepad for things to buy come morning. At around eleven pm, he deemed the space liveable and rinsed out his shirt in a fresh bucket of water, quietly tiptoeing out onto the backyard and wiggling his tired toes in the grass as he pushed a corset-like thing to the left and clipped on his shirt. Limping upstairs, he pulled his coat over himself, emptied his satchel, and laid his scruffy hair on it, shutting his eyes and quickly falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Good morning," Elizabeta said cheerfully as Arthur walked into the back of the bakery the next morning. "Had nice sleep?"

"I feel chuffed, thank you." Arthur said, rubbing his eyes before taking a drowsy seat at the chair.

"Anything planned for today?" she asked.

"Well…mainly to go shopping, possibly. And, er, think about my service," Arthur confided.

"Have you met the kids from the neighbourhood yet?" she asked, as she handed him a plate of toast and eggs. "They're all quite funny."

Almost right away, Arthur's mind flew to that Alfred. Stupid, annoying, clueless, _arrogant_ prick that couldn't keep his mouth shut. The _nerve_ of him! And his little gang of friends-ha! He'd have to avoid them today.

"You've gone red," Elizabeta observed, swallowing her bite of toast. "I take it you've met a few. Who are they?"

"A little group ruined my breakfast yesterday! There was, um, this guy with white hair and odd red eyes, and this blond boy with a thick accent, and this boy named Alfred who wouldn't stop annoying me!" Arthur said indignantly.

"Ah, so, you've met him. Quite a charmer, yes?" she almost purred, making Arthur drop his cup abruptly and turn fire engine red.

"He's a blathering idiot." he said bluntly.

"Ah, ah, you'll warm up to him eventually," she laughed, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "All right, I don't think there's much to do today in the shop, since the morning kiddos have come and bought their food and gone to school already. I recommend you just walk around, take in the view?"

Arthur nodded, and after he had finished his breakfast (and insisted washing the dishes, much to Elizabeta's surprise), he ran up to his room and picked up his empty satchel, pulling it off his creaky mattress. Hurriedly stuffing his shopping list and most of his cash into a wad and in the front pocket, he grabbed his broom before rushing back into the kitchen to fetch Popcorn, who was still enjoying his breakfast-a saucer of creamy milk.

"Getting ready to head out?" Elizabeta asked from behind the counter, flipping through a magazine. "Be careful-oh, wait," she said abruptly, and Arthur stopped. Popcorn popped his head out of his satchel.

"You _might_ not want to bring that around town. They might recognize you as the little girl that disrupted traffic the other day. And we wouldn't want that, right?"

"I _hope_ they didn't think me a girl," Arthur muttered, but reluctantly left his broom propped up behind a rather intimidating looking bread tray. "Um, I'll be back very soon. Please put me to work when I come back!"

"Be safe!" Elizabeta called as Arthur set off down the cobbled roads.

* * *

The streets were a lot quieter than before, seeing it was a Monday compared to a Sunday afternoon. Most of the people he had seen the other day had gone off to work, and seeing it was the summer crowds of teenagers and children were strolling up and down the streets.

Arthur stuck his hands in his pockets, determined to try to _not_ see a certain person as he shakily navigated the streets and asked around fifteen people before coming to the street that had the supermarket-

-not before passing through what seemed to be like the most expensive street that he had ever encountered.

It was scattered with high end shops and gleaming displays, filled to the brim with hats and dresses and fancy scarves. Arthur finally let himself take a long gander at the beautiful fabrics, managing to ignore Popcorn's annoyed meows at his window shopping.

" _Look_ at those shoes!" Arthur exclaimed, running over to the window. A pair of bright red shoes, shiny as an apple, gleamed under the bright display lights.

"They're so expensive," Popcorn complained, bringing his paw over a spray of whiskers. "Let's get that food you were talking about."

"They're so pretty, though…but they're so expensive," he sighed, letting his eyes roam over the price tag once again before shaking out his hair and continuing on his way.

"See it this way…if we get our delivery service on it's feet, we can buy those shoes and go home! Like that one story you loved reading, something about the Blizzards of Oz…"

"The _Wizards_ of Oz," Arthur corrected irritably. "And Dorothy didn't have to buy hers, the witch gave them to her."

"Anyway, let's just fix our minds to the supermarket. Fish first, then shoes." Popcorn purred, burrowing deeper into Arthur's bag. "Yummy, juicy sardines…"

"Is food all you can think about?!" Arthur hissed, as they entered the sprawling supermarket.

It looked just a little more modern compared to the other buildings, and it had revolving doors as Arthur grabbed a shopping cart. He was surprised that no one batted an eye as he stuffed his bag inside it, and the cart made a dismal, squeaking noise as he moved.

Quickly picking out a handful of food (and ignoring Popcorn's complaints for more tuna), he bought a few more essentials, a map and a frying pan before wheeling his cart in the checkout.

"Arthur, look!" his cat exclaimed, thrusting his little pink nose in the direction of a ceramic cup with a fluffball that suspiciously looked like him printed on the front. "It's me!"  
He placed the cute cup on top of the odd thing that moved in the checkout line, and clumsily counted out his money before carefully packing his newly bought items into his satchel and walking back to the bakery.

It was when he was walking near the huge bell tower that someone interrupted his walk.

* * *

lol we're so fail with updating sorry

this chapter was written by me B)

please leave reviews/favourite/follow!


End file.
